Blockbuster website debuts cryptic message, sparking comeback rumors

Blockbuster, a brick and mortar video store that once housed me and many of my friends as a teenager, was famously closed down in 2000 due to Netflix and other streaming companies. A mysterious message found on Blockbuster.com has raised rumors of a possible return to the doomed video store. Either that, or it’s an early April Fool’s gag. You know what, though? Let’s hope it’s a comeback.

Here’s the message currently displayed on Blockbuster’s website: “We are working on rewinding your movie.” According to 10tv.com, the message has been there since last November, although it’s only recently been discovered, and it’s not yet clear what the message means.

Blockbuster was technically still in existence. Blockbuster is technically still there, even though most of the stores are closed. Blockbuster was purchased in 2011 by Dish Network. There’s also a Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon that proudly markets itself as “the last Blockbuster.” The mostly-defunct brand also has a cutesy Twitter account; a couple of weeks ago, it posted, “New business idea: We’re going to come back as a bank and use VHS and DVDs as currency. Time to go visit your mom.” (That probably isn’t what the Blockbuster website update refers to, but it’s possible.)

Blockbuster may be a bit crazy to plan a comeback for 2023. But it should, and here’s why: Video game rentals. Although movies, TV, music, and even books have made the leap to digital subscription platforms with (relative) ease, video games haven’t been quite so lucky. Sure, Xbox Game Pass is great, and it’s only a matter of time before internet access becomes widespread enough that cloud gaming becomes a viable business concept (pour one out for Google Stadia). We also live in a world that suddenly makes games unavailable online or is removed from the store, such as the impending Nintendo eShop.

Blockbuster, as well as other comparable brick-and-mortar video stores, used to offer video game rentals — and, more importantly, console rentals. As a result, it ended up providing a pretty significant resource for people who lived in areas with crappy internet, or just people who couldn’t afford to own every console. You could also rent older consoles; in 2023, many people resort to emulation in order to play old video games, because there isn’t any other way to play them. What if Blockbuster became an option for preserving and sharing video games — especially older games that aren’t otherwise available?

All that said, I doubt that’s what Blockbuster is up to. It would be great to see an established brand, but one that cares about media preservation, step up and make it happen. It would take some serious “rewinding” in order to get back to a past where physical media is preserved and respected — but who better than Blockbuster to meet that need?